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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042031">Cat-ching a Break</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kattlarv/pseuds/Kattlarv'>Kattlarv</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Acceptance, Affection, Affectionate Insults, Animal Traits, Banter, Body Dysphoria, Canon Autistic Character, Canon Relationships, Dialogue Heavy, Educational, Explanations, F/F, For Science!, Gender Dysphoria, Headcanon, Hugs, Humorous Ending, Idiots in Love, Interspecies Relationship(s), Introspection, Magic, Medical Experimentation, Medical Jargon, Medical Procedures, Nerdiness, Nervousness, POV Third Person, Post-Canon, Questions, Science, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Surprise Ending, Therapy, Time Skips, Trans Catra (She-Ra), Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Transformation, Useless Lesbians, prehensile hair</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:54:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,407</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042031</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kattlarv/pseuds/Kattlarv</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With all things having settled down, Adora and Catra are looking into settling down into this new post-war world.<br/>They wish to look into what their options would be when it comes to starting a family. Along with what can be done for Catra's transition to be more comfortable. Considering years spent in an abusive military regime had done quite the opposite of help. But: Who else is best equipped to answer questions about this than the most intelligent person they know? (albeit with questionable moral standards)</p><p> </p><p>- Commission work.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Catra &amp; Entrapta (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cat-ching a Break</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(Note: This is intended to be semi-educational. It uses current day SCIENCE! for most of it to explain what we can do in current day. Do note that I am not a medical professional, so I am going off all the information I was able to procure. Some might be inaccurate. Also, let me know if I derped any of the tags.</p><p>BUT! It also does include HC Etherian stuff. So it's a mix of both. Basically: Any talk about cloning and magic is Etherian or theoretical, the rest is modern day stuff.<br/>This was commissioned by someone that wanted more content with a Catra that wanted to transition.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Fascinating...” Entrapta chimed as she probed around in one of the bots from Prime’s army. There was a bright flash in the corner, but the pinkette paid it no mind. “Hi Entrapta!” Glimmer called out. The scientists lifted her mask and glanced back. “Oh, hi Glimmer... and Catra and Adora.” she added after noticing them. “What brings you to Dryll?” she asked. “Oh, I’m just dropping these two off.” Glimmer replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Call if you need me to pick you up, okay?” she asked. The other two girls nodded. “Bye Entrapta!” the queen waved before she flashed out of existence. “Her powers sure have increased significantly since she is the sole bond to the Moonstone!” Entrapta chimed casually. Adora awkwardly cleared her throat. “Hi friends!” Entrapta waved with her hair eagerly. “What brings </span>
  <b>you</b>
  <span> to Dryll then?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra glanced over at Adora nervously. The blonde gave her a supportive nod. “So um...” Catra scanned the room. “Is... anyone else here? Or is it being broadcast?” she asked anxiously. Entrapta pulled out her recorder from her hair and clicked to stop. “Not any longer. Why? Oh, and: Hordak and Wrong Hordak are out. They are doing a ‘community service’! Whatever that is...” She mused to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, good...” Catra exhaled as she fidgeted. Entrapta moved from the disassembled bot and sat down on her hair a few steps away from the two. “So... as you know: I am trans...” Catra pointed out. “Nope!” Entrapta said cheerily. The girlfriends flinched in surprise. Catra’s fur stood on end. “What do you mean ‘nope’?!” she hissed. “I did not know that information. Hence: Nope.” The researcher replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra’s fur fell back down as she took a deep breath. “How... how do you </span>
  <b>not</b>
  <span> know?” she huffed and gestured to her chest area. “You said you were a girl. That’s all the data I require.” Entrapta noted. “Besides: If you are referring to mammaries: You’re the only magicat I’ve met. I assumed you had six to eight nipples like most felidae. Plus, the reptilians or...” Entrapta furrowed her brows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can think of eight other sentient Etherian species without torso mounted fat lumps for offspring related nourishment, off the top of my head.” she finished. Catra raised her hand, then slowly lowered it. “I mean, she has a point...” Adora admitted. The feline crossed her arms. “I can’t argue with that but... shut up.” She scowled. “So... did you come here just to inform me about this?” Entrapta asked politely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra quickly shook her head to regain focus. “Ah, no. I uh...” She trailed off. Adora gently placed her hands on her partners shoulders, slowly kneading them supportively. Catra glanced back with a smile. “Thanks...” She whispered, then turned back to the pinkette. “Well, it’s been a little over a week since... you know what happened...” She stated and anxiously shifted her weight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean when the universe almost ended and everyone almost died?” Entrapta offered excitedly. “... yes, that.” Catra said with a deadpan. “Yeah, I did not like that, it was scary...” Entrapta murmured. Catra blinked, then composed herself. “Well, me and Adora have been trying to... adjust. But it has proven... difficult to me.” She admitted. “And well... you know a lot about science...” She trailed off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta leaned forward and half-lit her eyes. “Go on...” She cooed. “And well, we don’t want to ask any of the other princesses for now since well... it’s all so soon, and they’d get really worried for us. And the last thing I want right now is to cause more stress... Perfuma is already giving me daily meditation sessions. So I was hoping we could try to handle this a little low-key for now.” Catra explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No-one has an issue with it. But you know..." Adora interjected. "Catra has done a lot of... mistakes. So even if everyone is supportive of her, and us... we are not on speaking term with a lot of people right now. Considering we all need time to decompress." She added. Catra fidgeted in place. "Yeah... While I know forgiveness is not forgetting. I still need to formally apologize to a lot of people." She said and averted her gaze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makes sense. Salineas is still in ruins, and the rest of Etheria is still trying to rebuild from Prime.” Entrapta noted, and caused the feline to cringe. “Ahem, well... Scorpia has talked a lot to me about children. Like... </span>
  <b>a lot</b>
  <span>. I personally think it’s </span>
  <b>way</b>
  <span> too soon. Considering all that has happened. But... it DID get us to think about it... could me and Adora have a child in the future?” Catra asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta scrunched her nose in contemplation. “Well... many etherians are able to cross breed naturally. But, Adora being not only from a different species, but also: A planet. I cannot say if you are able to biologically reproduce...” She answered. “But, I could take some DNA samples from you both and try to find out~” she whispered huskily and pulled out two syringes from her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra recoiled and grit her teeth. “Uh...” Was all she managed to object with. “Ooh! It would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>even better</span>
  </em>
  <span> if you could give me some sperm and egg samples. Then I can let you know if I could splice your genes together in a cloning vat if you’re incompatible biologically!” Entrapta said in a sultry tone. “I understood around a third of that...” Adora piped in. Catra gave a slow nod in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you give me some blood samples, I can run tests to see if you are compatible to have children via intercourse.” Entrapta clarified. “How long would that take?” Adora asked. “Well, prior it used to take around 50 minutes. But now with the new tech I’ve been able to salvage, it is down to a mere 38 minutes!” Entrapta said with glee. “That... doesn’t seem like all that much.” Adora pointed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta crossed her arms. “Say that when you have to run 100 samples...” She shot back. “... fair enough.” Adora noted. She glanced over at the brunette. “What do you say?” she asked. “I... I guess we can do it. We can talk about... the other thing while those tests run... I think?” Catra gave Entrapta a look. “Hm? Oh, yes! Once I get the program going, it will run itself.” She replied cheerily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, great. Can uh... can I have some sedative or, anything really? I don’t like being jabbed with needles...” Catra admitted. “Sure!” Entrapta chimed and a stun baton shot out from her hair. Adora barely managed to grab the hilt before it made contact with the catgirl. “WOAH! WHAT THE?!” Catra hissed. ”What? You said ‘anything’?” Entrapta asked, confused. Adora shot her a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra eyed her over. “To be fair: You, if anyone; deserves to hit me with that... but do you have anything less... extreme?” she pleaded. “Depends. Do you want local, general, sedative or regional anaesthetic?” Entrapta asked. “... I don’t know what either of those mean... can you just give me something for the area you will put the needle in?” Catra groaned while she ran a hand through her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yes. I do have a gel you can apply. But that takes half an hour to settle in.” Entrapta replied. The feline let out a louder groan and eyed the shock baton. “Catra...” Adora said sternly. “Fiiine...” Catra mumbled. Entrapta turned off the baton and reached into a cabinet. “Here, apply this like a band-aid.” She instructed and handed a square object to her, and pointed at the bend of the arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With some fiddling, Catra managed to get it to stick. “There.” She exclaimed triumphantly. “Do you also want one?” Entrapta asked and turned to Adora. “Nah, I’m fine.” The first one said dismissively. “So, what did you want to talk about in the meantime you said?” Entrapta piped up. Catra’s ears folded as she began to rub along her own shoulders. “Well...” She hesitated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been trying to be... intimate.” Her cheeks flared up. “But... it just... it doesn’t work for me...” She confessed. “I can’t connect with my nether region at all... I’ve done some hand and mouth stuff on Adora but...” She paused. “How did you solve the papillae predicament?” Entrapta interjected. “I... use the bottom side of my tongue?” Catra replied with a raised brow. “Intriguing...” Entrapta noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyhow...” Catra resumed. “She won’t let me reciprocate the favours, and making me feel very-” before Adora finished, Catra shot her a scowl. Adora smiled sheepishly and took a step back, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, what Adora says is true. I know none of us here are very good with feelings. But I wanted to know if you at least might have some... I don’t know, solution?” Catra pleaded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For me, it’s not a big issue. I mean: I get a bit loopy whenever the magicat mating season kicks in... but nose plugs fix that pretty well. Learned that the hard way during puberty...” She admitted. “So... what exactly is the ‘issue’ you are having during the sexy times?” Entrapta inquired. “Well, firstly: I don’t connect with... ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>it</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ at all...” Catra murmured. “Secondly: The barbs irritates Adora...” She mewled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By ‘it’, are you referring to your reproductive organ?” Entrapta asked. Catra scrunched her nose. “Yes...” She replied after a pregnant pause. “What else would it be?” she huffed. “I don’t know! Do I look like Perfuma to you?” Entrapta said defensively. “She has a point...” Adora pointed out. Catra rubbed her forehead. “Whatever... just, let's move on with this!” she muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry if I sound snippy I just... I’m working on it, and this is a sore topic for me.” She apologized. “It’s okay. I don’t understand most social things. But I try to help my friends with the things I do know about.” Entrapta said with a soft smile. “I know, it's primarily why we came to you.” Adora assured her. “So, you’re saying the barbs inconvenience Adora?” Entrapta asked, and pulled the topic back in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, a bit... they hurt more and more gradually...” Adora admitted. “But I got healing powers, so it’s not a huge deal.” She added. “Yeah... no. I’m not okay with causing my girlfriend harm just to satisfy myself.” Catra countered. “I’ve heard some couples are into that... but I would assume you aren’t?” Entrapta asked. “At least not in this way.” Catra replied curtly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there anything you can do for either of these?” she asked hopefully. “Well..” Entrapta stroked her chin with her bangs. “I could probably surgically remove the barbs?” she offered and tapped her chin. Catra’s ears shot up as she went pale as a sheet... then turned a shade of green. “I mean... I don’t like </span>
  <em>
    <span>it</span>
  </em>
  <span> but that sounds... painful.” Catra squeaked. “Also, would those grow back anytime I healed you?” Adora questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh! That’d be an incredible discovery regarding the limitations of your restorative magic!” Entrapta squeed. “... let’s not...” Adora stated bluntly. “Anything... else?” Catra asked. “Well... I </span>
  <b>could</b>
  <span> surgically remove your genitalia, place it in a vat, then reverse engineer it back to its original form.” Entrapta mused. “Wait, what?” the couple exclaimed in unison. They stared baffled at the scientist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Entrapta asked, confused. “What do you mean by ‘original form’?” Adora inquired, perplexed. “Oh. A penis is just a mutated vulva. It happens in the womb, or egg if a Y chromosome is detected. That’s where the sexual dimorphism starts.” Entrapta explained. “Or well... usually. There’s </span>
  <b>a lot</b>
  <span> of various mutations that can occur! It can happen on a whim. But speaking in general statistics.” She noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait... you mean you could theoretically do that the other way around too?” Adora asked. “Well, yes. It would be a bit more to extract. But after that: It would just be to do some regression, add testosterone and it would eventually fuse.” Entrapta explained. “How did we not know any of this?” Catra exclaimed. “Because you grew up as child soldiers in a dictatorship that executed children for stealing food?” Entrapta suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... okay, yes. But still.” Catra grumbled and crossed her arms. “Wait, does that mean Catra could get breasts?” Adora asked. “Assuming her species have them: Yes. She’d just need either a steady supply of oestrogen. Or something that produces it.” Entrapta stroked her chin. “Like: If I reverse engineered a reproductive organ.” She added. “So... how long would that take?” Catra asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I don’t know? I’ve never done it. I only have the theoretical knowledge about this. Partially thanks to studying cloning.” Entrapta replied. “But, just going off statistics... I assume I could get the genitalia finished within a month. Then you’d have to go through puberty a second time.” She noted. “So that would add several years.” She added and did some calculations on her fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, if you remove </span>
  <em>
    <span>it</span>
  </em>
  <span>... wouldn’t I have a gaping hole in my body?” Catra blurted out. “Well, yes.” Entrapta bluntly replied. “... wouldn't that kill me?” Catra asked sternly. “No. Genitalia is not a vital organ.” Entrapta chimed, then perked up. “But! Something that is fascinating is that the body treats it like one! Your immune system practically isn’t allowed in there. Same goes for your brain and heart!” she explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhm... okay?” Adora uttered, perplexed. “But, wouldn’t Catra still have a hole in her body?” she followed up with. “Yes. But not in the way she wants.” Entrapta replied. Catra rubbed her temple. “Look: HOW would I survive with that, during the time it takes you to do all that science mumbo jumbo? Like, how would I </span>
  <b>pee</b>
  <span>?!” she exclaimed. “Ooh, you mean like that.” Entrapta nodded knowingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Through a tube, I reckon.” She said sagely. “Or maybe a sort of bag? That you change daily?” she noted thoughtfully. “I haven’t gone too deeply into medical science. Robotics is more... <em>intriguing</em> to me...” She cooed as she bit her lower lip. “I’ve noticed...” Adora retorted with a smirk. “But yes, those are options. Mainly used by the elderly. Healing and medicinal magic and procedures takes weeks.” Entrapta stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is why She-Ra is so... </span>
  <b>fascinating</b>
  <span>...” She sighed wistfully and twirled her hair against Adora. “From what I’ve understood, your powers can work on fractures and internal bleeding?” she asked huskily. “I uh... I guess?” Adora replied. “Just imagine! Until we figure out the limits of your abilities, they might be able to regrow entire body parts!” Entrapta exclaimed excitedly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not sure I like where this is going...” Catra butted in. “Oh, don’t worry: I’ve gotten a proper lecture on why live testing is something very rude to do.” Entrapta assured the brunette. “But with Glimmer’s instantaneous traversal, and long range communication: Adora would be able to deploy She-Ra if a major accident were to occur, and that would bring invaluable data!” she squeed eagerly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t disagree with that... but I still hope that day doesn’t come... or at least not soon... yeah, it’s going to happen...” Adora groaned. “Try to let me be there when it does!” Entrapta said while nearly bouncing with enthusiasm. “We’ll see when we get there...” Adora curtly replied. “Do you want some tiny food while we wait? It might take longer for the mixture to soak through her fur.” Entrapta offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean... we had put aside the day for this so... might as well?” Adora asked her partner. “Fiiine... I’m just not a fan of waiting around.” Catra murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora rubbed her arm with a frown. “What’s the matter Adora?” Catra asked softly. “That needle... it slightly stung.” the blonde replied as she lightly sulked. “You’re the one that didn’t want anything numbing, you idiot.” Catra said affectionately. “Yeah, I know but like: It didn’t hurt, it just... ow.” Adora huffed and crossed her arms. “It was </span>
  <b>very </b>
  <span>uncomfortable as it slid out...” she added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can handle pain, but this was just... icky.” she scoffed and glared at the tiny bandaid. “You’ve been electrocuted, shot, stabbed, slashed, exploded, poisoned, ...weird energy attacks AND had a tank thrown at you. But you complain over a tiny prick?” Catra teased. “Well, </span>
  <b>you</b>
  <span> asked for sedative!” Catra countered with a smile, as she enjoyed their playful bickering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Because I know needles suck. And I </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> almost threw up.” Catra smirked. “Actually, needles use a va-” Catra put the finger of her good arm over the scientists lips. “It wasn’t a rhetorical statement.” The feline said with an amused smile. “Ooh, you were doing a couple thing. Got it. I will hopefully learn about those myself. I do have some with Emily and Darla, but those are more my family and friends.” Entrapta noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared off for a moment with a longing sigh. “I wish I could go back to space... but there’s SO much to study before I can go!” she exclaimed. “Once Hordak is done with... whatever he now has to do, I honestly spaced out a bit during that part... I think it had something to do with ‘service community?’ but: We plan to visit Beast Island.” She cheerily elaborated. Adora recoiled in horror.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W-Why would you go back there!? That place almost killed us... repeatedly!” Adora stuttered. Entrapta hair-waved her off. “Oh please Adora. Plenty of places have tried to kill me, repeatedly. Not AS many as you but...” The tech princess said dismissively. “Besides, I need to go get my girl. I promised... actually, she might have cleared out some of the baddies back at the place...” She noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra stared at the two in disbelief. “Wait, Beast Island is REAL?!” she blurted out. “Of course silly! You sent me there to die!” Entrapta reminded her. Catra’s ears folded like a wet sack. “Y-Yeah but... I thought it was like... some outpost, or I dunno? The Crimson Wastes?” she shrunk back. “And again: I’m sorry... I was acting in a panic.” She mewled. Entrapta patted her on the head using her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay. I’ve already said I forgave you. Plus: If it wasn’t for you, I never would have found all kinds of wonderful tech!” she giggled. “... and we found Micah.” Adora interjected. “Ooh, yeah. That too.” Entrapta agreed. “It did work out in the end.” Adora said comfortingly. “That doesn’t justify the means...” Catra sulked. “True... but you know what Perfuma has said.” Adora noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra let out a sigh. “I know, I know... I have to come to terms with it and move on. Doesn’t mean I have to feel good about it.” She sighed. Adora gave her a tight hug, then winced. “Ouch, damn needle!” she huffed and rubbed her bandaid. Entrapta leaned in and tapped her hair together. “So... if you are compatible, what were your plans for procreation?” she gingerly asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well: First, we are gonna take a few years to calm down, maybe more. Decompress and all that. See if we work out... which I really hope we do.” Adora murmured. “True, there is a lot of strain on your relationship.” Entrapta noted. “We’re working on that...” Catra replied as she strained her muscles. Adora held her tight. “The cuddling part has gone great~” she cooed as her girlfriend relaxed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta stared at the two expectantly. “Oh, uh... after that, if that goes well: We would try for a baby. Which... I guess it would be with me carrying the baby?” Adora gave an unsure shrug. “If she can do that... sciencey stuff, </span>
  <b>I</b>
  <span> could carry the baby. You don’t always have to carry the weight, Adora.” Cata interjected. “Well, I can transform. That would make the delivery and any sickness easy.” Adora countered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah well, I would have a magical healing girlfriend. You wouldn’t” Catra shot back. “Wouldn’t the baby transform with you? Or, how would that work?” Entrapta piped in. The two younger girls blinked and stared at her. “I uh... I hadn’t thought of that...” Adora replied, deflated. “You </span>
  <b>do</b>
  <span> basically get a new body when you transform...” Catra pointed out. “Yeah, where do your wounds even go?” Entrapta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know? It was never really atop my priority list to figure out! ... I think I even healed myself from either fractured or sprained legs that one time?” Adora contemplated. “Well, since your runestone is being housed in a trans-dimensional pocket dimension, maybe that is where it goes? ... would that mean a fetus would go there?” Entrapta tapped her chin. Adora squirmed uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we... not try to figure out how my powers work? It’s really... unnerving.” She pleaded. “Well, if you have plans to have offspring. You either have to not transform for 9 months... or however long first ones... divided by magicats... whatever duration of time that would combine to!” Entrapta exclaimed, then paused. “Wait, what was I talking about now again?” she questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh right! It is vital to find out in terms of safety.” She added eagerly. Catra shot her partner a glance. “Until we figure that out, I’d say it’s safer I’d carry our kitten.” She pointed out. “I could just keep them in a cloning vat. A lot less hassle.” Entrapta offered. The two exchanged a glance. “I feel that might be the most ‘fair’, but also... that sounds wrong on several levels...” Adora stated anxiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You girls could be my first artificially incubated life-form!” Entrapta squeed. “I mean... would the baby come out okay?” Catra asked hesitantly. “No clue! That’s the beauty of science!” Entrapta chimed. “That doesn’t sound safe...” Catra countered. “Nothing in life is safe.” Entrapta counter-contered. She perked up. “Ooh, we should get some blood from She-Ra! That way I can compare your genetics!” she gasped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora glanced to the side. “What would that mean?” she asked. “Well, I can compare it to your current sample. And that way, I can cross reference them with your DNA, and see if there’s any discrepancy.” Entrapta explained. She managed to pick up on Adora’s clueless expression. “In short: I should be able to tell if there’s any significant difference between ‘Adora’ and ‘She-Ra’ biologically.” She slowly elaborated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This will allow me to tell if there’s any large difference, one that might harm a child.” She added. “Ooh! Actually:” she paused. “How to put this in a... ‘Socially acceptable’ way?” she mused and squinted. “While, and after you transform: Do you retain your current level of fullness and sustenance?” she asked delicately. The blonde only slowly raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was equally confused. Entrapta tapped her chin with her hair. “How about: Do you feel the same amount of hunger before and after you transform?” she asked while gesturing. Adora narrowed her eyes in deep thought. The pinkette huffed. “If you need to use the restroom before you transform, do you still need to use it while you are She-Ra? Or when you turn back to Adora?” she articulated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora’s eyes widened as it finally clicked. “Oh. OOH!” she stuttered. “I... don’t know... it never crossed my mind to consider.” She admitted. “But that is... now I am concerned about that... that I can at least check the next time I have to um... do stuff.” She said before she awkwardly cleared her throat. “Wait... if it works like that... would that mean you could eat indefinitely?” Catra asked, amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora’s jaw hung slack as drool began to run down her chin. “That seems like a high waste of resources... but for SCIENCE! I’d be willing to watch that experiment!” the researcher butted in. “I feel like no-one here, especially not me, ever really delved into what my powers actually entail...” Adora noted. “Well, to be fair: You become a super hot, 8 foot tall sword lady that can suplex tanks...” Catra teased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trivial stuff like: Where your crap hypothetically goes during that time isn’t high on the list of stuff to inspect.” She added playfully. “I know. But, now that it’s out there... I can’t stop thinking about it...” Adora replied. The scientist leaned in over her shoulder as a needle poked out of her hair. “Weeell~?” she chimed. Catra shied away from the sharp point, while Adora eyed it hesitantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I don’t feel as much pain when I’m She-Ra, so I guess it’s fine.” She said after some silence and shrugged. She let out a breath and closed her eyes. She held out her hand and a rainbow swirl shaped in front of her hand, quickly blooming out into a sword as she gripped the newly formed hilt. Catra stared intently as the blonde’s hair flowed out into new, brilliant golden locks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta eyed the giant woman with intrigue as she grew notably larger, and more buff. Catra idly crossed her legs as she bit her lower lip. As the light faded, She-Ra smirked and gingerly flexed her biceps, managing to elicit a mewl from the feline. “Fascinating! Is the appearance based on your mental disposition to how you prefer to appear?” Entrapta inquired. “Sorta, yeah? I focus on how I... ‘should’ look, I guess?” She-Ra replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s magic, okay?” she huffed. “It’s all very dependent on my mood and feelings.” She added and stretched to her full length. “Well, let's get this over with.” She noted as she stretched out her arm. Entrapta clapped her hair eagerly and inserted the needle with precision. She-Ra didn’t even flinch, and grinned at that. “I love how this feels~” she sighed, then paused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Being She-Ra I mean, I just feel great.” she chimed, then glanced at her girlfriend. “Not </span>
  <b>as</b>
  <span> good as when I’m in post-coital cuddling with my kitten but...” she sang coyly. Catra’s cheeks flared up as her tail flicked eagerly. She-Ra caressed her partner tenderly along her cheek. “I just want to be able to make you fe-” she was cut off as Entrapta delicately slid out the needle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She-Ra let out a yelp as with a flash of light, she was reverted back into the dirt blonde girl. “Owie! What the heck?! How does it... so uncomfortable on the way out?!” she fumed. The completely mentally stable scientists gave a shrug in response. I’ll go put this in with the others, then cross reference your sample!” she chimed. Adora rubbed her sore arm with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least the wound is gone...” She noted and glanced to her other arm. “Well, band aid is still there...” She said with a contemplative glare. “Great, now all these questions are gonna haunt me until I try all of them.” She mumbled. Catra crept up on her and pecked her on the cheek. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Regardless what happens... we’ll figure something out. We always do...” She purred and leaned her forehead against Adora’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora relaxed and sighed wistfully. “Okay! The samples have successfully been assimilated for testing!” Entrapta exclaimed. “So, were you two passion avians interested in the other methods?” she inquired. “Well, sure. Knowing our options doesn’t hurt.” Catra replied. “Alrighty~” Entrapta stated and did a little stretch. “Well, if you turn out to be compatible, but don’t wanna do the ‘woohoo’~” she teased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can always perform a spinal tap!” she stated excitedly. “...Spinal tap?” Catra asked hesitantly. “How do you tap a spine?” Adora interjected. “With a needle.” Entrapta stated matter of factly. “WHAT’S WITH ALL THE NEEDLES?!” Adora barked as she waved her arms. Entrapta waved her hair dismissively. “Please, science is at least 17 % needles... or needle-like instruments.” She added and amusedly shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So... what is this ‘spinal tap’ thingy?” Catra inquired. The pinkette lit up. "Ooh! It's something</span>
  <b> very</b>
  <span> interesting for SCIENCE!" Entrapta exclaimed. "You see, our bodies consist of </span>
  <em>
    <span>tiny </span>
  </em>
  <span>cells. Each with their own function." She eagerly waved her hair. "But! There's a... protocell, if you may. That can turn into </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> other cell!" she squeed. Catra grew tense. "You mean like... shapeshifting?" she asked hesitantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta furrowed her brows thoughtfully. "Well yes, but actually no." She replied. "It's like a universal bolt, that fits on </span>
  <b>any </b>
  <span>machine... though: Once placed, it can't be moved technically..." She stroked her chin. "But! I could shape it into a blood cell, a white blood cell, skin tissue, grey matter, bone. Just; anything I'd want!" she elaborated with a glint in her eye. "What does that have to do with anything?" Catra asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tech princess half-lit her eyes. "Oh, you see: It could also be made into an egg or sperm... and since it carries the DNA if the individual it's extracted from..." She waggled her eyebrows. The couple stared at her blankly. Without missing a beat, Entrapta extended her arms dramatically. “It can be used to inseminate and impregnate, even in case of infertility!” she cheerily proclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was originally gonna try to fertilize myself, with myself... but I wasn’t sure if that would cause genetic defects... considering I am myself, and that might be considered incestuous... I do have the cloning vats now but... I might run tests on it now that I have more free time. But, I’m more cautious with biological experiments... mechanical I can repair... it’s harder to replace living tissue...” She noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, so I could have a child with Adora, with something that wasn’t my um... downstairs?” Catra asked. “Yes. The only limit is your chromosomes. Someone with X chromosomes can only have a XX. And someone with X and Y could have either XX or XY. Or the rare hermaphrodite!” Entrapta concluded while she stroked her chin. Adora tilted her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happens if you only have Y?” she questioned. “Oh. Then you’d be dead. Considering the X contains well, the core building blocks.” The pinkette cheerily answered. “Or well, you’d never have been alive to begin with...” she mused. “So... while those samples are... doing whatever samples do... do you have anything to do here?” Catra asked. “... are you asking me for sexual intercourse?” Entrapta questioned hesitantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? No! I just asked if you have anything we can occupy ourselves with while we wait!” the feisty feline exclaimed. “Oh, good. I really am not proficient in that.” Entrapta let out a sigh of relief. Adora and Catra gave each other a confused glance. “Anyhow! I got several explosives around, some bots, security cameras and a slew of other stuff. Just take your pick!” Entrapta chimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not sure why we did that... or how we managed to spend an hour...” Catra stated bluntly. “I was having a </span>
  <b>blast</b>
  <span>, quite literally and figuratively!” the purple princess giggled. “Oh, right. Your tests finished fourteen minutes and thirty six seconds ago.” She noted. “What? Why didn’t you tell us?” Catra snapped. “I just did.” Entrapta replied in confusion. The feline groaned slowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta skipped over to the computer and clattered away on her keyboard. “Ooh! Fascinating!” she cooed to herself. “What? What does it say?” Adora piped up. “Good news! You two are compatible AND She-Ra’s DNA is similar to yours. Nearly identical. Just... infused with latent, undiluted magic!” Entrapta cheered. “Which would imply that there should be no difference whichever form you enter!” she added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So... we can have a baby?” Catra asked, her voice cracked. “Yes! You have a rough estimate of 28,92 percent chance for the sperm and egg fusion to not be rejected!” Entrapta described. Catra’s face fell. “Wait... rejected? That’s... seven in ten failure rate?” she asked, confused and scared, her voice wavered. “Not quite, but in layman terms: Yes.” The scientists retorted and playfully tapped the vials with her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How... how can you say that’s good?!” Catra asked. “Because you </span>
  <b>can</b>
  <span> procreate? Despite vast anatomical and genetic differences?” Entrapta replied with a perplexed look.”Those are REALLY bad odds!” Catra sputtered. “How so? It’s roughly fifty percent above the human rate. And well, being one: It’s what I use as the median.” Entrapta explained as she showed them her datapad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Humans have around a little above fifty percent for a miscarriage or overall naturally terminated pregnancies. The statistic majority end in nothing. So... I’d say for such a vast difference with Adora not even being from this </span>
  <em>
    <span>UNIVERSE</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” she waved her hair for dramatic effect. “I’d say around twenty percentage points increased failure rate are pretty darn good odds here.” She poked at the chart on her screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair exchanged looks. “Are the odds really THAT low for people?” Adora asked, and the engineer nodded. “Then HOW are there so many people?!” the blonde asked. Entrapta shot her a bashful look. “Oh um... people try... A LOT... repeatedly...” She rubbed the back of her head. “Huh... well, I guess if they do it as often as Adora jills off... that would result in a lot of kids...” Catra noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no. It doesn’t work like that. Each insemination has on average a 2,5 % chance to be successful. Again: Using human statistics.” Entrapta noted. Adora balked. “But... 2,5 %, and then a 50 %... that SUPER low!” she exclaimed. “We actually hit around 20 % in our prime, which is incidentally around our 20’s.” Entrapta replied. Adora tilted her head. “But, still!” she blurted out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I cannot stress enough... how much people ‘</span>
  <b>try</b>
  <span>’...” Entrapta reiterated. She suddenly perked up. “It’s part of what drives me actually... not the act but... the fact people keep trying despite abysmal odds. Imperfections are beautiful. And even if something I build seems extremely improbable: I know that if I keep trying; I may just manage to get something that doesn’t explode!” she chimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t let setbacks put you down... though, both of you seem to already embrace that fully.” She smiled warmly at them. Adora shot her girlfriend a smirk. “We are pretty stubborn.” She snickered. “That’s one way to put it~” Catra replied. “So... what you’re saying is that if we do it the uh... ‘unnatural’ way, it will be much more likely to succeed?” Adora asked while she fiddled with her fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Correct!” Entrapta exclaimed. “My test tube method has WAY higher results in the positive directions, since it rules out ‘humanoid error’ so to speak. Plus: there’s no vaginal lining to attach to, that part is skipped. So the egg cannot be rejected. Unless you want me to move the egg out of the tube, then it still has a chance to be rejected in your womb.” She pointed out as she counted on her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait...does that mean... we’d lose a child each time we’d try and fail?” Catra squeaked. “Well... yes, but actually no.” Entrapta drew out her reply. “Theoretically... yes, that </span>
  <b>could</b>
  <span> have gestated. But, so could every single sperm cell, which is continually produced and die off might I add! Or each ovulated egg. But... unless it DOES start the process and succeed...” She illustrated with her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Each one is as much as ‘child’ as if say... you were to spit on the ground. Your saliva also contains your genetic composition. But yes: It is a VERY imprecise and faulty method. It DOES however allow for many mutations to occur! ... far from all are good however.” She hummed. “But! They do allow for new variations to occur!” she mentioned excitedly. “The original trial and error~” she sighed wistfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do have a theory that the wombs of the princess lineage are lined with some Y chromosome spermicide... otherwise I’m not sure what could cause the unnaturally high amount of XX heirs...” She mused. “That or the Runestones have some sort of effect on those linked to it... then again: It also applies to non-elemental princesses too... but I’m not a certified genealogist... yet...” She said in deep contemplation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... </span>
  <b>how</b>
  <span> do you have time to do all of this?” Catra asked. “If there’s a will, there’s a way!” Entrapta cheerily replied. “That...doesn’t answer anything!” Adora blurted out. “So... I guess we just come back in a few years if we decide to start a family and decide on... any of those sciency methods?” Catra asked. “You could. There’s pros and cons with each method.” Entrapta replied and stroked her chin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>”Like, while the cloning vats are the most efficient and safe. You may not bond very well with a ‘test tube baby’, considering you don’t have to physically carry it around with you prior to the ‘birth’ so to speak.” She noted. “Yeah... I’ll have to mull that over... same with if you were gonna do that... thing with my genitalia...” Catra awkwardly replied. Adora eyed the whole apparatus over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So... would I like, leave an egg while I’m menstruating, or how would that work?” she asked sceptically. “No silly! I’d extract them with a... not needle.” Entrapta shifted tone mid sentence and grinned. Adora exhaled in relief. “Oh, thank the twelve...” She murmured. Catra shot the scientist a glare. “I’ve been learning!” Entrapta exclaimed and grinned at the deadpanned feline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyhow: you could actually leave samples today if you’d be so inclined. I can just cryogenically freeze your sperm and eggs and take them out years later!” she excitedly explained. Adora fiddles with her hair. “Wait, that’s a thing?” she asks perplexed. “Ooh yes! It can also be done with blood... and other organs...” Entrapta casually adds. “That is intriguing... and worrisome...” Catra quietly replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora stared at her hands for a prolonged silence. The other two girls watched her after they noticed. Adora suddenly clenched her fist. “I’d like to do it.” She stated firmly. Catra flinched at the sudden statement. “What? Why?” she asked. “Well, while </span>
  <b>he</b>
  <span> is gone... I have nearly died like... thirty-eight times this past year alone... and I am prone to try kinda dumb shit...” Adora trailed off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, I just want to play it safe for once... in case the worst happens. I’d at least have left you with </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She smiled weakly. Catra’s lip trembled. “Don’t say that! W-We’ll be fine!” she barked. Adora leaned her forehead against her girlfriend’s. “I know, but it would put me at ease just to know...” She whispered softly. “Plus... a lot of ruins here can only be accessed by a first one and...” She trailed off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra tightened her fists. “I know you’re right but...” She hissed. “Fine... I’ll give some too... I’ve had more than my fair share of ‘reality checks’ myself...” She murmured. “Are you offering to give me samples to clone, splice or for in vitro fertilization?” Entrapta asked, slightly unsure. “For now: Just to keep... not sure I’d be comfortable with you turning one of my eggs into me...” Adora replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could do that from your blood. But... that would just be a ‘template’ of you so to speak. It wouldn’t be ‘you’. It’d be an entirely different person.” Entrapta began to elaborate. “The upbringing would shape the majority of the personality. The genes are just a starting block. Though, yes: Your clone would have your DNA so... theoretically they could access the tech... no clue if they could access She-Ra however...” She hummed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I... don’t even want to think of that. I mean, I was chosen? Feels like it’s sorta tied to me as an individual? Not my genes? Aside from well, being a first one.” Adora narrowed her eyes as she contemplated. “Could I take a few extra eggs, preferably from She-Ra? For... science?” Entrapta asked hopefully. “Um... I guess? How many do I have?” the blonde replied hesitantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, a human has more than they can spend in a lifetime... I’m not sure about you... I can’t say until I have a look.” Entrapta responded. “Well, okay... if I also got extra to spare, I guess it won’t hurt... would be a bit extra awkward to pick which one to fertilize if we ever get around to that though...” Adora rubbed her forehead. “True. Every single combination would result in a different composition!” Entrapta confirmed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which would eventually; become a completely different person.” She clarified, then whipped around. “So... what type of sample would you want to give?” she asked with baited breath. “Um... I guess the spinal tap? ... I’m really not comfortable with the other method...” Catra mumbled. “Can do! Just to be fair: I’ve never done either of these... I </span>
  <b>did</b>
  <span> try on myself, but... was too complex on myself...” Entrapta admitted and shrunk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra fideted. “Well... you </span>
  <b>did</b>
  <span> remove that chip on your first try...” She replied with an anxious flick of her tail. “I believe in you...” She whispered. The pinkette perked back up, then deflated. “Oh, and I have to warn you... these procedures are painful... especially yours...” She spoke softly and made eye contact with Catra. The feline huffed and glanced to the side. “That’s fine... I’m used to it.” She growled and swiftly wiped her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora put her hand on the brunette's shoulder. “It’s okay... I can heal you right afterwards.” She said reassuringly. Entrapta narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “I’m not sure that works? Or how do you ‘heal’ pain as it is momentarily? Aren’t your powers more... retroactive?” she pondered. “I mean, I guess it’s more aftercare and comfort but...” Adora clarified awkwardly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra smiled at her girlfriend. “It’s okay, I know what you meant.” She spoke softly. “So, what should we start with?” Adora asked. “I reckon the eggs... could I get some from She-Ra, just to check?” Entrapta asked hopefully. “Um... I guess?” Adora replied. “We could start with that I guess, so I have a better understanding of how it feels... or how much pain to expect...” She added hesitantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard to say... a lot of things in life oddly hurt a lot. Like... most internal pain is completely unhelpful, as we cannot do anything to prevent it naturally. We </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> with medical SCIENCE! But, it’s a pretty weird evolutionary gap.” Entrapta noted. “Like, without surgery, what does my body expect me to do about a burst appendix?” she asked aloud as she shook her head. “And don’t get me started on menstrual cramp!” she huffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her hair sprung back to attention. “Anyhow! Are you ready to get started?” she asked excitedly. “I-I think so.” Adora replied. “This is happening a bit fast, to be honest.” She admitted. “We can postpone if you prefer.” Entrapta offered. “No... I think it's best if we just... get it over with. Then we can focus on moving forward. Otherwise this will just nag at the back of my mind...” Adora stated firmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve become strongly selective of what to ‘just get over with’, but in this case: I agree... though, I’m not sure I’m ready for that whole... surgery, transplant thingy.” Catra chimed in. “That is fair. I only have the practical and theoretical knowledge about it. But... I’ve never had it tested... and I don’t quite have the duration or what to do in the meantime figured out so...” Entrapta fidgeted with her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can however look into it if you’d like. I could probably keep you in a medically induced coma for the duration but... I don’t think Adora would handle being away from you for that long, based on my observations.” She added. The duo exchange a look. “Yeah... not right now at least.” Adora responded. “I mean, I </span>
  <b>could</b>
  <span> put you both under...” Entrapta mused. “Just so you can be by each other's side and not miss out.” She offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That could be an option... though again: For later. We kinda... have a lot going on right now... even if I want this little... reminder to be corrected as soon as possible.” Catra murmured. “I could clone you one. Then replace what you currently have when it’s ready. But... that depends if you want the original reshaped, or just a new one.” The scientist noted. Catra rubbed along her arms and pondered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean... I’d prefer to have mine... ‘fixed’. But... we can consider that option. I’d rather look over my alternatives and decide at my own pace. These are both huge decisions in our lives...” She stated firmly and let out a shaky breath. “I had hoped life would get easier from here...” She spoke solemnly. “I’ve come to learn that when something gets easier mentally, it can become harder physically. And vice versa.” Entrapta stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You may not be shot at by lasers, or battered. But now you have to deal with the emotional fallout... The aftermath of the storm, so to speak.” She added with a firm tone. “It may not show, but I’m still coming to terms with everything... I hurt people I care about. Even if they’ve forgiven me, I will do my best to make sure I’ve earned that forgiveness. And I’ll keep doing it until I feel like it’s true.” She finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She poked the tips of her pigtails together. “I’ve never been good with people... but I’ve learned to try harder with all the recent events.” She said with a smile. Adora gave the princess a gentle pat on the back. “I think you’ve made great progress. Mermista told me what happened.” She explained. “Ooh, goodie. I told her it was fine to help me explain that situation to others.” Entrapta chimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused for a moment. “Really makes me wish these procedures didn’t have to hurt so much... but that’s a common theme in life it seems.” She let out a wistful sigh. “I wish we could be more like Darla: Incapable of feeling pain, but with a diagnostic system that shows any damage.” She said as she gazed off into the distance. “Aren’t bots magnificent?” she squeed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean... I guess they can be... most of my experience with them has been them shooting and slashing at me so... my views are a bit biased.” Adora replied. “Yeah... not much better over here.” Catra chimed in with a smirk. “Oh... right.” Entrapta blushed sheepishly. “Well, on the bright side: I have some very good sedatives. Don’t worry: They are MUCH more effective than those you got for the blood sample.” She reassured them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why couldn’t we get those before?” Catra asked curiously. “Well, those just numb your nerve endings so they don’t activate your pain receptors. These...” Entrapta frowned for a moment, as she tried to find the right words. “Let’s just say: Most of these heavily limit your motor skills and/or leave you extremely drowsy... for up for a few hours.” She tried to carefully elaborate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh... do they also take that long to kick in?” Catra asked. “No, these only take a few minutes. But, be aware you’ll be out for a while.” Entrapta clarified. “We understand that. We made sure to have our entire day off for that reason... well, not to be sedated; but in case it took longer than a few hours, which seems to be the case.” Adora said reassuringly. “Well, then... let us begin!” Entrapta proclaimed eagerly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra took a sharp inhale as the world came back to her. “W-What happened?” she sputtered out. “Well... as soon as the needle went in, you shrieked and instantaneously fainted... then Adora healed you, right after I got you the sample and withdrew the needle. She initially tried to heal you </span>
  <b>while</b>
  <span> the needle was in, but I managed to talk her out of that!” Entrapta explained gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, how would I know if that would have gone bad!” Adora questioned. “I didn’t say it would. I just said it might be a bad idea to heal her with a syringe in her spine.” Entrapta clarified. Catra tried to get up, but her arms gave out. She let out a gasp and then wobbled on the table, her eyes going cross. “Woah, calm down! You are still doped up!” Entrapta put her hair on her, as she gently held her down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just lie still and relax until the effect wears off.” Entrapta said reassuringly. “W-Why can Adora move?” Catra mumbled. “Well, her sedation could be more centralized. Yours... not as much. The spine is connected to the entire nervous system. So I can’t just numb one area.” Entrapta carefully explained. “Then HOW did it still hurt like heck?” Catra hissed as she breathed deeply to calm down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s rarely done. And it's also described as one of the most painful procedures you can ever go through.” Entrapta replied. Catra glared at the inventor. “Isn’t that WHY I got the numbing stuff?” she growled. “Yes. You don’t seem resistant to sedatives based on the fact that the blood sample went fine. But unless I’d fully anaesthetize you, you’ll still feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> from something that invasive.” Entrapta explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t we do that?” Catra asked in annoyance. “You’re not supposed to.” Entrapta replied. “Why not?” Adora interjected. “I don’t know! It’s what the data says. If the information says it’s dangerous to do in other ways, I trust the data until I’ve done my own experiments on the matter.” Entrapta retorted. Catra slowly deflated. “I guess... but it kinda failed if I wasn’t supposed to be unconscious...” she added dryly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Entrapta’s hair deflated a smidge. “I’m sorry... this isn’t my area of expertise...” She murmured. Adora shot her girlfriend a slight glare. “She’s just trying to help...” She interjected. Catra folded her ears. “I know... but that REALLY hurt...” She muttered. “It’s difficult considering I’m the only one that does research on these topics. I have very little to go on...” Entrapta pouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? I can’t be the first person on Etheria with this... predicament!” Catra exclaimed in disbelief. “Oh, of course not. It happens every so often. It’s well documented” Entrapta replied. “Then... how has this never been done before ? Did the science to do so only just become available?” Catra asked incredulously. “No, of course not. No-one just ever bothered to pursue it...” Entrapta huffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Why wouldn’t they?” Catra sharply countered. “Because they just use magic to fix it... it takes like, a week or something... same thing with creating children... I only stumbled into this long forgotten art thanks to discovering cloning! Just imagine all y-” The pinkette was cut off by an agitate feline. “WE COULD HAVE SKIPPED ALL THIS AND USED MAGIC FROM THE START?” Catra growled before she took a deep breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well... yes? It’s not very uncommon. Being able to be who you are has since long been a core part of Etherian culture?” Entrapta pointed out, confused. “Why... why didn’t you tell us?” Catra blurted out. “You didn’t ask...” Entrapta replied bluntly.</span>
</p>
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